The Home Front | Hickenlooper to refugees: ‘Whatever else is happening, Colorado is here for you’

“Colorado’s governor, refugees and the volunteers who help them re-create their lives marked World Refugee Day on Tuesday with a state Capitol celebration tempered by a dose of uncertainty,” reportsThe Loveland Reporter-Herald. “Colorado’s refugee arrivals are rapidly decreasing under a Trump administration order that more than halved the number of displaced people who are being allowed in the U.S. this year. ‘Whatever else is happening, Colorado is here for you,’ Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, told dozens of refugees and their supporters. ‘Colorado is going to remain a welcoming state.'”

“At least four employees of the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art have resigned after alleging the museum’s executive director violated labor laws and was abusive toward staff,” reportsThe Boulder Daily Camera. “Museum officials released a statement on Tuesday saying five employees sent a letter to BMoCA in March complaining of labor violations, improper financial practices and a pattern of abusive behavior by Executive Director David Dadone. An official reached at the museum on Tuesday afternoon declined to comment other than to say the museum would be issuing a statement on the matter.”

“Six-month-old Elena Odenbaugh’s face shined in a bright smile last week when her mom dropped her off at preschool,” reportsThe Greeley Tribune. “Her mom, 16-year-old Oliva Odenbaugh, smiled, too. For the past three months, Oliva has had her daughter in Colorado Early Education Network’s preschool program at Jefferson High School. The nonprofit uses federal Head Start grant funds to provide half-day and full-day preschool for families in poverty. Head Start provided full-day preschool to 10 percent of its families, but just earlier this year Colorado Early Education Network Director Scott Bright learned the nonprofit would receive the funding to expand its full-day preschool to about 30 percent of its kids.”

“Carbondale trustees have approved rezoning the home of KDNK from residential to ‘historic commercial core,’ allowing the community radio station more flexibility in using its space and hopefully leading to additional revenue,” reportsThe Glenwood Springs Post-Independent. “The station’s property has been used commercially since the 1980s, despite the residential designation, said Janet Buck, Carbondale senior planner. So, even though the station has approached the town on numerous occasions, KDNK has been prohibited from having temporary special events, she said. Gavin Dahl, KDNK’s station manager, on Tuesday talked with the Post Independent about a variety of uses that he envisions for the station and how they can help bring in money.”

“Boulder County commissioners on Tuesday night approved allowing limited elk hunting on the Rabbit Mountain Open Space area northeast of Lyons later this year,” reportsThe Longmont Times-Call. The first hunting season will run from Mondays through Wednesdays, starting the week after Labor Day and running through Jan. 31. It is part of what the commissioners called a “multi-pronged,” multi-year effort to reduce the size of the growing elk herd that has made about 500 acres on the county-owned open space area a permanent home.”

“The state’s revenue might have been much higher if numerous Colorado taxpayers hadn’t chosen to delay earning income from investment gains in hopes of favorable changes in the federal tax code, state economists told legislators Tuesday,” reportsThe Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. “As it was, however, the state’s economy is expected to increase by a robust rate through this year, the economists told the Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee in outlining the latest quarterly economic and revenue forecast. And while the state has the lowest unemployment rate of the entire nation — 2.3 percent — that has led to stalling some employers’ plans to expand, said Natalie Mullis, chief economist for the Legislative Council, the nonpartisan staff for the Colorado Legislature.”

“Donavyn Nailor-Lewis graduated from Central High School last month. And like most students across the country, he applied for scholarships to help with the ever-increasing cost of higher education tuition,” reportsThe Pueblo Chieftain. “Tuesday, he was awarded a not-so-ordinary scholarship — one derived from Pueblo County’s marijuana excise tax. Nailor-Lewis was one of 210 students to receive a $2,000 scholarship this year. The $2,000 will be split up into the school year’s two semesters.”

“Exuberance that accompanied an $86 million state tourism grant awarded in late 2015 is waning, but Loveland, Windsor and Estes Park officials say they have not lost hope that a handful of projects will bring thousands of new visitors to their communities,” reportsThe Coloradoan in Fort Collins. “There has been little movement to realize an ambitious roster of new attractions in the 18 months since Go NoCO, the multijurisdictional group that submitted the Regional Tourism Act application, won the competitive grant.”

“Promoters of a trail maintenance endowment fund in Northwest Colorado are trying to figure out how to get more cyclists, horseback riders and hikers to pitch in and help keep their beloved trails open and free of ruts,” reportsThe Steamboat Pilot. “Yampa Valley Community Foundation Marketing Manager Helen Beall said the fund, which was launched last year to help keep area trails in tip-top shape, is lacking grassroots level support. ‘What’s missing is the small donor,’ Beall said. ‘I only have about 20 donors this year who gave less than $100.'”

“The Durango Business Improvement District has a new tool to blast away unsightly stains that pockmark downtown sidewalks as a result of gum chewers who can’t find a trash can to spit their cud,” reportsThe Durango Herald. “The gum blaster, as it is called, uses a mix of steam and non-toxic, biodegradable soap that dissolves the black stains that freckle city sidewalks.”

“One year into working with the readers who need the most help, the Cañon City School District is seeing gains in just about every area it’s tackling with an early literacy grant,” reportsThe Cañon City Daily Record. “The grant, which was implemented in May 2016 through Colorado Department of Education funds, allowed the district to purchase new literacy materials, including a reading program for all elementary students called Journeys. For its struggling readers, though, the district began using Lindamood-Bell, an intervention program that uses brain science to help students early in their schooling.”

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About the Author

Corey Hutchins

is a journalist in Colorado, and Columbia Journalism Review's Rocky Mountain correspondent for the United States Project. Follow him on Twitter @CoreyHutchins and email him at CoreyHutchins [at] gmail [dot] com.

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